After a nearly three-week stretch with no tropical storms during the peak of hurricane season, Tropical Storm Gabrielle formed in the central Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday morning. As of Wednesday evening, it was churning about 900 miles from the Caribbean’s northern Leeward Islands, with sustained winds of 50 mph.
The National Hurricane Center forecasts that Gabrielle will become a hurricane by Sunday as it travels northwest, but its strengthening is uncertain due to atmospheric hurdles over the next few days. The storm poses no direct threat to the US, but may churn up surf on the East Coast next week.
Gabrielle is the first tropical storm in the Atlantic since Fernand fizzled out on August 28, marking only the second time since 1950 that the Atlantic went storm-free from August 29 through September 16. The lack of storms is attributed to dry and stable air, as well as stronger-than-usual wind shear in western and central parts of the Atlantic.
The storm’s path will be influenced by high pressure to the north, which will steer it west-northwest before moving into the central Atlantic. High surf and rip currents are expected in the eastern Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Another system is being monitored near the Cabo Verde Islands, but it poses no threat to land for at least a week.
The late formation of Tropical Storm Gabrielle follows a trend of slower tropical activity this season. September typically sees increased storms, but 2025 has been particularly quiet due to various atmospheric and oceanic factors that limit storm development.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/17/weather/tropical-storm-gabrielle-track-depression-climate